February 26th to March 1st, 2024 – 9:30 am to 12:30 pm (Mon.-Fri.)
Full week rate : 70$
Drop-in class rate : $20 (available one month prior)
Language of instruction : English and French
Questions can also be asked in : English and French
Open to all professionals involved in performing arts
The mask could be mandatory for some activities as an accessibility measure for our teachers or participants. For more information, click here.
CONTENT
A week of moving, questioning, idea sharing, conversations, practical activities and collective problem solving for professionals involved in the performing arts. Including and not limited to; dancers, actors, circus performers, choreographers, teachers, rehearsal directors, dramaturges and yes, even behind-the-scenes administrators.
This workshop will propose ideas, questions and practical ways to explore, recognize and navigate consent in personal training, creation, performance, teaching and contract negotiation. Each day will begin with individual movement exploration followed by a combination of discussion and practical exercises/games to create context for:
1. Exploring and understanding personal limits and boundaries.
2. Attempting/practicing/failing and attempting again to give, receive and revoke consent and communicate limits and boundaries in multiple situations.
3. Recognizing and understanding the expression of different types of power.
4. Inventing ways to structure training, rehearsals and performance schedules.
5. Sharing and finding solutions for real examples of challenging situations.
Special guest Erin Flynn will contribute to these classes. Erin is a choreographer, teacher, dancer, and developer of Sustainable Approaches to the Creative Process.
ACCESSIBILITY
This workshop offers food for thoughts around consent. Movement explorations are done individually and in group and can be adapted to the participants. The use of writing, drawing or other non-verbal communication will be suggested.
BIOGRAPHY
Melina Stinson is a movement artist and teacher based in Tiohtià:ke, colonially known as Montreal. Her personal practice is focussed on attentive somatic dialogues that can shift past, present and future power dynamics that exist within her own body.
Melina has worked with multiple choreographers across Canada and Europe since 2009. Parallel to her work as a performer, her teaching practice has ranged from rehabilitation for severe back injuries to training professional students as faculty at l’École de danse contemporaine de Montreal.
Since 2020, Melina has been training in Intimacy Direction and is researching consent-informed practices in dance and movement pedagogy. This year, Melina is looking for new inspiration as she follows her beekeeping girlfriend to Belgium where much time is spent watching bees dance. In addition to learning from bees and chickens, Melina is also training, sharing and creating with other exceptional artists in Brussels.